Kizhi

In the far north-western corner of Russia is the Republic of Karelia. 

In Karelia is a lake, called Lake Onego. 

In the middle of that lake is an island called Kizhi.

On Kizhi is a "pogost",  a settlement or churchyard.

And in that pogost, are two wooden churches and a bell tower.

The church on the left has 22 domes while the one on the right has nine. The smaller church is known as the Church of the Intercession. It is heated and is therefore used as a winter church (October to Easter), whereas the larger church - the Church of the Transfiguration - is not heated and is only used during the summer months. Both churches date back to the 18th C and are built entirely of wood - no nails! Along with the belfry, these structures were built of pine (the main structure), spruce (roof) with aspen covering the domes. This pogost is an UNESCO World Heritage Site with the island and its open air museum of 87 other buildings (including more wooden churches, barns, mills, houses and saunas) brought to the island is a Russian Cultural Heritage Site.

So, apart from the Moscow Metros from last months post, this is one place I would love to see. (yes, I have thing for Russia!)

Sunday Stamps II

Inspired Sunday

Moscow Metro

Novokuznetskaya opened in 1943 (in spite of the war!) 

and won a state prize for its design. It has seven octagonal ceiling mosaics on the theme of wartime industry. The marble benches were rescued from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour before it was demolished.

Taganskaya opened in 1950
It has majolica panels with floral patterns on each of the 48 curved pylons. Within each panel is also a bas relief of various WWII Red Army and Navy servicemen

Kropotkinskaya opened in 1935 after only 180 days
it has flared columns of white marble with lighting concealed in the top.

Belorusskaya opened in 1952
it has 12 octagonal mosaics on the curved ceiling and the floor is patterned to resemble a Belrussian quilt.

Novoslobodskaya opened in 1952
its most striking feature are the 32 stained glass panels in the pylons

The city I grew up in has a subway system, but its stations were mostly renowned for its bland 'subway tiles' (which I actually kind of liked for its minimalism and clean design) There were four trim colours and three - later five - colours of tile. The gentle repetition was soothing to me. I later found out that many people didn't even notice the pattern.
I cannot imaagine anyone not noticing the designs in these Moscow Metro Stations

for Maria's postcards for the weekend

with love from Australia

My Postcrossing profile says I like cute cats, so am not sure why I received this deadly snake. But, it is good to have your horizons expanded.

The Tiger Snake of Australia is
highly toxic.

Seek help immediately if you are ever bitten.

It is generally found in swamps and lagoons and areas near rivers and open forests in southeastern and southwestern Australia. Some other interesting facts:

• the laughing kookaburra is one of their predators
• they can climb trees as well as swim and dive
• females give birth to anywhere from 20-30 live snakelets
• from the moment they are born they have to fend for themselves

Madtown

A map postcard showing an interesting view of Madison Wisconsin came in my mailbox from Eleanor.

The only thing I previously knew about this city was that it is the capitol, has a university, and was named for President James Madison. (okay, that last bit was a guess)  But, as someone who loves maps and is a bit of a geek regarding urban planning, I was fascinated to discover that downtown Madison is built on an isthmus.

An isthmus is a narrow strip of land that connects two other areas of land usually with water on either side.  In this case, the water is two of the five lakes that are found in the city - Lakes Mendota and Monona.  Yes, this city has five lakes! The others are Waubesa, Kegonsa and Wingra. With all those lakes come 13 beaches. And a bonus 260 parks.

It is the creation of a local graphic artist, Lia Spaulding, who composed it according to characterizations gathered informally from an assortment of local residents. The “map” is an outline of the isthmus with labels superimposed, corresponding to different parts of the central city, walking a line on the funny side of stereotyping. Most of the image’s information is packed into the areas of campus, Capitol Square, and the near East Side. The Williamson-Marquette neighborhood is labelled “vegans,” “downward dogs,” and “hippies.” “Art fair,” “farmers market,” and “political protests” cover where the capitol sits. The neighborhoods where the majority of people of color in Madison live, on the South and North sides, are identified by landmarks or seasonal festivals rather than types of people. The South-Central sector, over 50% of whose inhabitants are people of color, is labeled “hospitals,” “runners & scenic route,” “mass brat consumption” (for the annual bratwurst fest) and “Christmas lights” (for the holiday light festival in Olin Park). “Duck blind” (the field where the Madison Mallards play), “airport,” and “Weinerville” (the Oscar Mayer factory) represent the North Side.

(source) 

Madison sounds like a fun and healthy place to live. Besides all those parks, there is an extensive network of bike paths and it recently was awarded a Platinum Status as a bike friendly community. (this makes it one of the five best biking cities in the country.) There are several museums – and a zoo – mostly free. And, it is less than 200km from Chicago and around 100kms from Milwaukee if you need more urban excitement.

Plus, in light of recent events, it was also declared as the "least armed and dangerous city in the US" (Men's Health Magazine, 2008) In that year there were only 10 homicides.

Anybody out there reading this who has been to Madison? Please do share your stories.

Damavik

I have seen several of these postcards from Belarus and have even been lucky enough to receive some. But, really I had no idea what this gnome like creature was all about. Was he part of some Russian fairy tale? And why is he only in Belarus and not Russia? The variety of cards didn't seem to suggest a story line, but he does appear in many settings. Maybe he is part of the Belarus tourist industry that has taken off on a life of its own?

Finally, I realize that this creature is known as Damavik.

and this particular Damavik is the creation of a Postcrossing postcard site that specializes in Belarus artists for their cards. if you look up the website (Vanilla Tree Vale) you can find out more about him.

He is a Belarusian folklore character, similar to the Russian Domovoi, (and other Polish, Ukrainian and Lithuanian versions) a house spirit, or elf. Traditionally, it is said that these elves inhabit every house and they help with the chores if treated well by the family.

This Damavik lives in a cozy country home and eats traditional Belarusian foods – his favourites are mushroom soup and potato pancakes.

 And by being a mascot of this postcard company, he sort of reminds me of the Travelocity gnome  as he travels around the countryside and visits such places as the Mir Castle (below) a birch forest (top) and collects mushrooms (second from top)

a walk in the forest

What I learn from Postcrossing. This postcard arrived today from Dasha in Siberia.

Barnaul band type pine forest. 

This is in the Altai region where there are around 13,ooo lakes. There are five pine forest bands, with this one being the largest. It stretches for 400km but is as narrow as 15km wide in some spots.

There is an old legend about pine forests telling of the God of Wind that was flying above these lands in the Altai region and saw a beautiful girl with a wonderful name, Aigul (it means 'Moonflower' and is common in Kazakhstan). He decided to take her to his castle beyond the clouds and cajole her to marry him by showering her with marvelous presents. But the girl knew that it would be very hard to love him as the Wind frequently changed his character and mood, was frivolous and often flew away from home. Aigul heard the Wind sneaking up to her while smelling the unusu­al flowers he carried and scared of being torn off her native land she rushed home along the meadow. But the Wind turned into a hurricane, ran the beautiful runaway down, picked her up and took her away to his celestial chambers. Aigul was crying and where her drops of tears fell there appeared small lakes. The green bands from her braids flew down to the ground and where they dropped there grew forests to show her brothers the way to find their sister. Whether they found her or not nobody knows…

source with slight adjustments to the translation

make friends with an owl

Owls have been making a big rerun, much as they were back in the 1970's. Everything that could have an owl design, or owl shape is available (if you don't believe me, check out your local Winners or HomeSense, or any kitchen/home decor store).

I think they are cute and have started a modest collection of vintage and retro owls of my own.

The owl came into our Hallowe'en traditions much like the bat. As a hunter of bats, owls would often be seen near the Hallowe'en bonfires searching for food as were the bats. As they flew silently through the night sky and often lived in the hollows of trees where they could not be easily seen, they had a disconcerting habit of scaring travellers. When they screeched, it filled people with apprehension and made them think something evil was about to happen. Some believed that witches could change themselves into owls where they might then drink the blood of babies. In time the screeching reminded people of the cackling of a witch.

The owl was the favorite creature of Athene, the Goddess of Wisdom. The Greeks believed the owl to be a protector, with its magical ability to see at night. To have an owl fly over an army before battle was sign of impending victory.

The Romans, however, believed the owl was a creature from the underworld and a portend of impending doom. To hear the hoot of an owl meant that there would soon be a death. 

The English adopted much of their owl folklore from their Roman conquerors. For them, the owl was a sinister creature. It hunted in the night, a time closely associated with death and evil. 

It's interesting that in the northernmost parts of England and in Scotland where the Roman armies did not conquer, the local inhabitants considered it good luck to see an owl.

This postcard for Postcard Friendship Friday was sent from Vivienne in Hungary

another postcard

Apa Khabar?

How are you? in Malay.

Absynthe and I received a postcard from Brunei today! I bet none of you have ever had a card from Brunei, have you?

I bet most of you couldn't find Brunei on a map - I found out it wasn't quite where I expected it to be when I looked it up.

So, here are some facts about Brunei:

> it is a Sultanate formed in the 14th Century and was a British Protectorate for nearly 100 years

> Brunei (pronounced /bruːˈnaɪ/ in English), officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace (Malay: Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: بروني دارالسلام), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia

> it is one of the smallest countries on earth, being only a little over 2200 sq mi.

> His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah is the head of state

> a soul and jazz singer, known as Zul F, (Haji Mohammad ZulFakhari bin Haji Muksin) won the Brunei Idol in 2005, and sang before the Sultan at his 60th birthday party

> a Pittsburg Penguin, named Craig Adams, was born in Brunei and raised in Calgary

> the Istana Nurul Iman palace (meaning Palace of the Light of Faith) is the world's largest residential palace (and the world's largest residence of any type)

> the interior of Istana Nurul Iman was designed by Khuan Chew, Design Principal of KCA International, whose other works include the Burj-Al-Arab, Dubai

> it was built in 1984

> Brunei became independent from Britain in 1984

> oil wealth allows Brunei to have one of the finest health care systems in Asia

> there are five hospitals in Brunei

> the population of Brunei is around 385,000

> the government owns a cattle farm in Australia

> the farm is larger than Brunei itself

> Brunei's coastline is 161km

> the weather is tropical, hot, humid and rainy

> typhoons, earthquakes and severe flooding are rare in Brunei

info sourced from: wikipedia, lonelyplanet, cia factbook and tourism brunei